RUSSELL — Comcast can’t guarantee that it will serve all of the neighborhoods in Russell that lack cable television and high-speed internet.

Russell Cable, however, can guarantee: It won’t happen.

“With Russell Cable, we had no chance,” Select Board Chair Wayne Precanico said at a public hearing on Oct. 19. “With Comcast, [we have] a shot. They’re the only ones that said they were willing.”

The hearing was a procedural step toward Russell granting its cable television franchise rights to Comcast, which will purchase the town-owned utility that previously held those rights, in a deal that was negotiated over the past 18 months.

Precanico, a former cable commissioner, said the town had struggled to keep Russell Cable alive, but programming costs are rising and the equipment badly needs upgrades that Russell can’t afford. At the annual Town Meeting in June 2019, voters endorsed the proposal to sell Russell Cable.

“Comcast was the only bidder,” Precanico told the several dozen residents that attended the hearing, many of whom live in neighborhoods not currently served by cable television or broadband internet service.

He said Russell Municipal Cable Manager Randy Merritt, commissioners and selectmen worked for the past year to come up with an acceptable agreement between the town and Comcast.

Precanico said the negotiations included expansion of service to unserved and underserved areas. Russell Cable couldn’t afford to add internet connections. He said that Comcast has agreed to ask to work the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, which is helping to fund broadband networks in previously unserved towns in the Berkshires.

Daniel M. Glanville, vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs in Comcast’s Western New England Region, told the residents he had begun the conversation with MBI, which has worked with Comcast in 35 communities in the Berkshires.

“We have told MBI we are having this conversation. We are willing to engage them, and MBI said there might be other funding,” Glanville said, adding that Comcast wants to add additional customers. “After we’ve signed, we’re willing to take a look,” he said.
Timber Ridge resident Gloria Farrell, who lives on one of the underserved roads, said that they have compiled a list with addresses of 37 homes throughout the town that don’t have internet or cable access. She said she would share the list with Comcast.

“We have a group of underserved taxpayers who have done research on the value of our homes, [which] will be devalued if we do not have access to the internet. It also affects the sales of our homes. That’s the situation we’re in on Timber Ridge,” said Farrell. She said of the 17 homes on the road, only five still have Verizon DSL.

“When properties changed over, people were unaware that Verizon would no longer support the DSL. They’re stuck with nothing. Our values are going down, so please try hard,” she added.

Another resident said about 93 percent of Russell households have access to cable television service, based on 535 households; the MBI target is 96 to 98 percent.

Upper Moss Hill resident Derrick Mason, who lives on another road on the list, commended Russell Cable and the selectmen for their efforts, and asked if after the sale there would be a mechanism to continue to find funding to hook up the 37 to 40 unserved homes. He said he thought a group of residents or the cable commissioners should work with Comcast.

“That’s going to be on Comcast’s plate,” Precanico said. He said the Select Board had talked about the town setting up a cable advisory board, because the elected commission that now oversees Russell Cable may be dissolved following the sale.

Glanville said that Comcast had done cost estimates for Timber Ridge, Homestead and Moss Hill, three of the roads on the list. He said Timber Ridge and Homestead, where the lines would run underground, would be very expensive, although he did not name a price. After the meeting, he said he would be presenting that information to the town at an upcoming meeting.

Farrell asked if that meant that Comcast was going to do it, and Glanville said no.
“It’s imperative that we get service,” she said.

“We can have a conversation in the next several months,” Glanville said. He said MBI has been a “very good partner.” He also said some towns have contributed funds in order to reach all of their residents beyond the 96 to 98 percent.

Town Assessor Thomas Ray pointed out that the agreement on the table — under which Comcast would take over as the town’s cable television franchise holder - does not require the company to expand its network or even negotiate on the topic.

“Those people deserve and need this new service,” Ray said. “Nobody can get by without internet. Is there something that needs to be done to get this in writing that Comcast will do what you say?”

Precanico advised against it.

“If we start going down that path to hold Comcast to 100 percent, I don’t want them to say it’s too expensive. We are only getting $250,000 for Russell Cable,” Precanico said. What if it costs $500,000 to wire Timber Ridge and Homestead, he asked. “How much do we put on Comcast to do?”

For his part, Glanville said that Comcast would not sign a separate memorandum of understanding committing it to expand the broadband infrastructure.

The purchase agreement and contract was scheduled to be signed by the town and Comcast on Oct. 22, but remained unsigned at the end of last week.

“We’re hoping to do so within the next 30 days,” Precanico said.